Politico wants to power its way into your weekend news diet.
The political-news behemoth, part of Axel Springer, is relaunching its longform journalism efforts this weekend with a new crack at a weekly âmagazine,â or in this case a package of five to six longform stories that will examine the people and polices that shape power around the world.
âThere is a wide world of people who may read the Wall Street Journalâs âWeekendâ section, or The New York Times Magazine who we think we can pull in with a package of content that is aimed at the theme of power,â says Alex Burns, senior executive editor of North American for Politico, during a recent interview. âThere are audiences who want deeply reported, richly written enterprise journalism.â
The initial group of stories includes a feature from Sophia Cai that examines the secret U.S. political history of the World Cup. Samuel Benson will detail the racism Vivek Ramaswamy faces in his quest to be Ohioâs next governor. Â Alice Ollstein and Megan Messerly offer the untold story of why the Trump Administration reversed itself on HIV prevention. Â Ian Ward details a plan by the âNew Rightâ to use VC-backed charter communities to Christianize America. And Jack Blanchard profiles Andy Burnham, the audacious British mayor looking to beat the populist right and then topple Keir Starmer.
Known largely for focusing on maneuverings going on inside-the Beltway (and in other global capitals), Politico has in recent months set its sights on a broader crowd. Last year, it launched âThe Conversation,â a podcast led by journalist Dasha Burns, which executives at the time had hopes might vie with some of the venerable Sunday shows from the TV networks, such as âFace the Nationâ or âMeet the Press.â
The new package marks just another way to make Politico journalism available to audiences in different ways, says Jonathan Greenberger, who was named global editor in chief of Politico in March. âIf you want a newsletter, great, we have your newsletters,â he says. âIf you want to go a little deeper in an interview we have got podcasts. And if you want that deeper dive into power, we have got the magazine for you.â
Politico previously published a print magazine, with its aim being to show off the organizationâs ability to deliver deeper stories in an era when it was known for being a scrappy âwin the morning and win the dayâ outfit. Â âThe newsroom didnât have, broadly speaking, the muscles and resources to do big-swing enterprise journalism,â Burns explains. The magazine was created as a new stream of content to plant a flag for Politico in a space that it had dabbled in but not invested heavily.â
That was then. With 550 journalists under its aegis, Politico has people diving into policy changes and lawmaking every day. Â To bolster its work, Politico has hired Kathy Gilsinan from Puck and named her a senior staff writer. Dylon Jones has been promoted to senior editor of the magazine. And Catherine Kim has been named a reporter, keeping an eye on people and trends influencing culture, and keeping an eye on East Asia.
The relaunch offers a chance, says Burns, âto deliver an even more distinctive and even more ambitious agenda.â